Shirtless men dance with hookahs in snow-covered Himachal, video sparks backlash

Snow-covered roads and mountains are visible in the background (Image source: @iNikhilsaini/X)

A video from the snow-covered Lahaul-Spiti region in Himachal Pradesh has been drawing widespread attention for all the wrong reasons. The clip shows a group of tourists dancing in the middle of a road amid freezing temperatures, raising concerns over public safety, civic sense, and law and order.

The video shows five to six young men dancing to loud music, with their car parked on the roadside. Some of them were seen holding liquor bottles and hookahs, while at least two appeared shirtless despite the extreme cold. Snow-covered roads and mountains are visible in the background, highlighting the harsh weather conditions in the area.

Sharing the video, Nikhil Saini, an X user, wrote, “Now it is crystal clear why foreign tourists avoid famous places in India and move to quiet side areas. Disrespectful behaviour has pushed locals to the edge and ended the warmth they were once known for. There is no excuse or justification for this.”

Now it is crystal clear why foreign tourists avoid famous places in India and move to quiet side areas. Disrespectful behaviour has pushed locals to the edge and ended the warmth they were once known for. There is no excuse or justification for this. pic.twitter.com/oYwL17gLSv

— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) January 1, 2026

The video has gone viral across social media platforms, triggering a backlash against the tourists for creating a ruckus. “State government and police should set some good precedent in the best interest of tourism. Such display is enough to scares tourists those really contribute to tourism industry in real sense by staying in good hotels,etc,” an X user wrote. “Zero civic sense. They are showing their great culture. With this kind of behaviour we may require inter state permits to travel in future,” another user commented.

“Exactly, I talked with many foreigners and they are all comfortable going south of India, they don’t even want to visit the North part of india not sure why, may be pollution or this kind of population. We are suffering from the Civic sense,” a third user reacted.

This is not the first such incident reported in Himachal Pradesh during the holiday season. Earlier, tourists in the Thalot area of Mandi district were fined for creating a similar nuisance. In another incident, also in Lahaul-Spiti, tourists who were allegedly creating a ruckus in Gramphoo fled the area after spotting the police.

According to NDTV, Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Shivani Mehla said the video came to her notice on Thursday, following which the individuals involved were identified and fined.